Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - People in the East Buffalo community will now have easier and free access to greater connectivity in today's ever-evolving technological world.
As part of a commitment to address the digital divide and bridge the homework gap for students, AT&T has teamed up with the Buffalo Urban League and Dreamscorp of Buffalo to open a new state-of-the-art digital learning lab at Community Center @ CRUCIAL in the City of Buffalo.
This digital lab will provide 30 new computers, along with digital education tools, digital literacy education, mentoring and Internet access for children and others in the community who face digital barriers. Also included with the learning lab includes printers, 3D printers, software, broadband and much more.
"I'm sure you've heard this before, this African proverb that says, 'If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.' These three organizations: Dreamscorp, AT&T and the Buffalo Urban League are doing and proving just that," said Buffalo Deputy Mayor Ellen Grant on behalf of Mayor Byron Brown.
It is estimated that in the City of Buffalo, more than 11,400 students, kindergarten through 12th grade, are impacted by the digital divide and do not have the connectivity or the Internet-enabled devices necessary for long-term success. This new lab will hopefully be able to address those issues for students and others in the community.
"Here we are today in 2022, where it's a necessity to have access and connectivity to this sort of equipment in our community," said Majority Leader of the New York State Assembly, Crystal Peoples-Stokes. "People are not going to survive into the future if they do not have this.
"It's exciting to know that there are people who come from other places that want to pour into the lives of people in my community. That speaks well about what we need, that speaks well about where your hearts are. That speaks well about your understanding that if we all don't succeed, none of us actually succeed. So thank you for everything you've done here today, and I certainly do look forward to continued collaboration around these organizations, as well as many others."
The Community Center @ CRUCIAL is a newly-opened community resource center in East Buffalo, operated with the support of the Buffalo Urban League. This center will provide critical and resourceful practices for people of the community, such as digital equity through access, digital literacy programming and support, money management, home ownership, health and wellness and much more.
In 2022, AT&T will launch five new labs across the state in partnership with regional Urban Leagues. This location in Buffalo is the second of those labs to open so far.
"For students going without these resources, it makes it nearly impossible to get the first-rate education that they deserve. The digital learning lab is going to help solve a lot of those problems," said New York State Senator Sean Ryan. "It's a wonderful initiative aimed here at Buffalo, but also several other sites throughout New York State, and it'll provide students in one of Buffalo's most underserved areas with modern up-to-date access to the Internet. It'll help to close the digital divide, but also to promote digital literacy here in Western New York."
Hear more from Tuesday's press conference in the player below: